Romain Grosjean’s car from his devastating fireball crash at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix will be displayed for the first time at an exhibition next month.
The Frenchman cheated death after his Haas penetrated a steel barrier at 137mph, split in two and burst into flames during the most dramatic accident in recent Formula One memory.
Grosjean spent a terrifying 28 seconds scrambling to escape from his car, but suffered only minor burns to his hands.
Displayed for the first time in history…What remains of @RGrosjean‘s @HaasF1Team VF-20.
Exclusively at #F1TheExhibition in Madrid from March 2023.
Find out more ? https://t.co/4dqFoqLEbp pic.twitter.com/OuqUALbjpX
— F1 Exhibition (@F1Exhibition) February 21, 2023
And the remains of his machine – which Grosjean credits with keeping him alive – is due to go on display to the public in Madrid along with previously-unseen footage from the accident.
“The survival cell is there for you in case of a huge impact,” said Grosjean, 36.
“I was intact inside the shell. The chassis is still in one piece, the halo is there and – apart from the damage and burns – it is still as it should be. I guess that saved my life.”
“I realised my left foot was stuck into the chassis and I pulled as hard as I could on my left leg.
“My shoe stayed in the chassis but my foot came loose so I was free to exit the car.
“From my point of view, it was a big accident but I didn’t realise the impact or how violent it was from the outside.
We are so thankful that Romain Grosjean was able to walk away from this. We did not need a reminder of the bravery and brilliance of our drivers, marshals, and medical teams, nor of the advances in safety in our sport, but we truly got one today#BahrainGP ?? #F1 pic.twitter.com/z8OeTU5Nem
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 29, 2020
“It was only the next day when I asked someone to show me what it looked like that I realised.”
Grosjean, who was already due to retire from F1, was unable to race in the final two rounds of the 2020 campaign.
He has since competed in the American IndyCar series and is set to take part in the Indy 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway later this year. The exhibition opens on March 24.
